Single mother Gillian Apple unfurls a purple rug that has caught her eye and lets loose a Genie who has been rolled up for 2000 years as punishment for an unspeakable Genie offense -- falling in love with his mistress, er, female master. The outrageous, incorrigible Genie tries to convince her that he desperately needs the acceptance of a new master in order to remain free, while she is reluctant to let magic into her children's already disrupted lives and therefore stubbornly resists his attempts to trick her into wishing.